Ephemeral Experiences
by artemecia
Summary: complete Life post PB in little snapshots dealing mostly with Riddick and Jack's unfulfilled emotions. One shot fic! A JR story sortof... My first fanfic ever so plz rr.. thanks!


Time seemed to pass in an instant as Riddick watched the one good thing in his life grow before his very eyes. Funny how a girl had managed to domesticate him, ironic how much he welcomed it.

_I love you..._

Before he knew it, she had become a woman. Punks from her school were lining up around the block to have a chance at her. Lustrous brown locks sprung from her once boyish head. Curves grew on her body that not even the baggiest of clothes could cover completely. All this time, Riddick watched her longingly as she favored others with smiles that he yearned for, silently admitting the truth to himself.

_I love you..._

Endless nights were spent holding her in his arms to ward off the still recurring nightmares. Heart-to-heart talks dragging right into the early hours of the morning until they finally fell asleep, then waking up in each other's embrace. These were the moments that Riddick treasured yet dreaded the most, for each time, a little more of himself would fall under her spell. Expert though he was at reading emotions, he remained mystified at the peculiar sentiment that filled her large, soulful eyes during many of these moments.

_I love you..._

Forcing himself to act like the perfect model of an older brother, he kept the relationship perfectly platonic. Sometimes he would catch elusive signs of disappointment washing over her face, but he pushed it to the dark recesses of his mind, telling himself that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

Days passed into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. Jack had settled down into a steady relationship with one of the boys from her piloting school, spending less and less time with Riddick. He, in turn, brought back a string of flings to temporarily warm his bed and ease his loneliness. Both felt a profound emptiness in themselves, yet chose to ignore and hide it as best they could. However, there was always a part of their hearts which whispered to them when they were alone in the darkness.

_I love you..._

In a proverbial blink of an eye, Jack became engaged to her piloting school 'sweetheart'. Upon hearing this news, Riddick mumbled his congratulations, and then proceeded to go out and get piss drunk. She finally found him a few hours later in a drunken stupor. Hearts bursting with suppressed emotion, the two stumbled back into 'their' apartment. As she tucked him in, the dam holding back her love for him burst. A whisper emanated from her lips almost inaudibly, 'I love you, Riddick...' followed by the chaste meeting of lips.

_How can something this wrong feel so right?_ She thought to herself, guiltily remembering her fiancé and feeling a sense of exhilaration. Meanwhile, Riddick was still trying to process what was happening to him. Had he passed out? Was he dreaming? Was Jack actually kissing him? Finally, the truth sunk in.

Shock quickly turned to thrill and elation. She loved him! Riddick went from inebriated to sober to high in an instant. Subconsciously, he remembered that she was taken, as good as married, but he knew that no force on earth could stop him now. He gruffly replied 'I love you too, Jack.' Then spent the rest of the night showing her just how much love he felt for her. The tenderness of their actions caused tears to spring in both their eyes. As they lay beside each other on their bed, they stared contently into each others eyes, clear green meeting shimmering blue before shuttering closed. Identical thoughts sang both lovers to sleep.

_I love you..._

The next morning, Jack stretched, purring like a content feline. Turning over, she reached out for the muscled body lying next to her ----

---- but her hands only reached emptiness. Her eyes shot wide open. An empty bed greeted her, with only a simple envelope on the pillow to hint at Riddick's presence there.

With shaky hands, she tore open the letter and began to scan the contents. The letter only held a few lines, but it filled her with a cold certainty ---- Riddick, her Riddick, had left her.

The letter said:

_Dear Jack, _

_You know as well as I do that I'm not good with emotional bullshit, so I'll get straight to the point. Last night was the best thing that ever happened to me, I'll never forget it. I'll never forget you. But we just can't work, what with you being engaged and me being an ex-con. I'm sorry. I love you, always. _

_Yours Forever, _

_Richard_

Suddenly filled with numbness, she let the letter fall from her suddenly limp hands. Her eyes wandered around the room. All of _his _things were gone, disappeared. Something in her cracked, shattered and died. One line ran over and over again through her head.

_I love you..._

End.


End file.
